Question, Disbelieve, Defy

[Paul Mackin]

Dave Monroe wrote: (quoting Oliver Stone)

>
> "In our country, if we search, we find that a
> coup d'etat planned against President Roosevelt in
> 1933-1934 has amazingly disappeared from the history
> books"

It wouldn't have disappeared from the history books and public
consciousness if FDR had actually been assassinated I'm betting. The "coup
d'etat planned" and other even more enticing conspiratorial possibilities
would have had huge followings.

In other parts of the essay quoted by Dave, Stone is forthright enough
about his "JFK" movie. He sez it is about "a"  conspirarcy to kill JFK. No
mention of "the" conspiracy to kill him. And our attention, he sez,  is
deliberately drawn (by him the moviemaker) to the fact it is only a movie
we are watching. In other words he pursues the subjunctive, hypothetical,
what if, mode. Apparently  as far as the populace is concerned and box
office receipts can be calculated that mode  is the most interesting mode
of all. Ameica when she dreams . . .

                    p.